The Sydney display includes two brand new models. As well as the magnificent 73, Maritimo is displaying the Aegean 50 Enclosed for the first time.

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The spectacular Maritimo 73 Motor Yacht to launch at the Sydney International Boat Show.

Australia’s youngest luxury boat building company, Maritimo, has launched its new flagship, the spectacular Maritimo 73 Motoryacht. Stretching a little over 80 feet in overall length, this new boat leads a fleet that has expanded to 14 models in just seven years.

The new flagship makes its first sea trials on the Gold Coast Broadwater next week after being lowered into the water at Maritimo’s Hope Harbour facility yesterday.

Maritimo founder and CEO Bill Barry-Cotter described the new boat as “fantastic”.

“The team has achieved everything we planned two years ago,” he said. “This is an outstanding boat and a credit to our entire team of craftspeople.”

An industry legend, Barry-Cotter began building boats from a garage in Sydney in 1966. The Maritimo 73 is by far the largest and most luxurious boat he has ever designed and built.

He founded the Maritimo brand in 2003. From just two boats on display at its first boat show in Sydney that year, the company has expanded to take a total of 13 different models with a retail value of more than $20 million to the 2009 Sydney International Boat Show at the end of this month.

The Sydney display includes two brand new models. As well as the magnificent 73, Maritimo is displaying the Aegean 50 Enclosed for the first time.

These new boats come on top of four new models launched at the Sanctuary Cove International Boat Show only two months ago.

The aggressive new model launch program is part of Maritimo’s strategy to strengthen its powerful market position and weather the global economic downturn.

The company also continues to invest in its Dealer network around the world. In the Americas alone, the company has appointed five new Dealers - in Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela, the French West Indies, and at Fort Lauderdale in the US. Elsewhere two have joined in Australia and one each in Europe, the Middle East and Asia. The appointment of a Dealer in Spain strengthens Maritimo’s growing position in Europe.

According to Mr Barry-Cotter, the company remains on a strong footing through the current economic crisis for a few simple reasons.

“We saw the crisis coming early and acted quickly to get the business structure ready to weather the storm,” he said. “We have no debt and we have a strong, proven management team. Every senior person at Maritimo can claim at least 30 years in the industry.

“Most important, we do not flinch from our commitment to the most important people in our business – our customers. Our task is to offer a choice of quality cruising boats that are comfortable, safe and provide good value for money. Downturn or boom, those principles stand a company in good stead.

“Like everyone else in the industry, we are feeling the effects of the downturn,” said Mr Barry-Cotter. “But with an ongoing commitment to research and development, to our Dealer network and to marketing, we are in a better position than most to take advantage of the recovery.

“Most important, we continue to commit to the service of our customers around the world, no matter what it costs.”

He said that the key to Maritimo’s reputation for quality and fuel efficiency lies in the initial design.

“We set out to build a boat that the market wants,” he said. “This includes walk-around decks, single-level saloon design, internal staircase and enclosed flybridge on our cruising boats. Our commitment to build quality and sound design principles has delivered boats that are both fast on the plane and surprisingly fuel efficient compared with our competitors around the world.

“As well as the lessons from 40 years in the industry and listening to our customers, we learn a great deal from our racing program,” he said. “Getting power-to-weight ratios right and learning more about propulsion is the difference between winning and losing a race. It is the same in a cruising boat. We have spent a great deal of time and money researching laminates, propeller design, ideal shaft angles and ensuring that the weight in a Maritimo is as close to the centreline as possible.”

Mr Barry-Cotter said that, while Maritimo has launched six entirely new models so far this calendar year, the research and development department is working hard on more new models.

Maritimo already offers a fleet of options for discerning owners, from flybridge Cruising Motoryachts and Offshore Convertibles to the sprightly Sport Cabriolet and Aegean Flybridge models. In all, the company now offers 14 different models ranging from 48 feet to the new 73-foot flagship.

According to Maritimo’s “key man” Martin Lewis, success comes down to four elements: fast, fuel efficient, comfortable and quiet.

“Build a balanced boat that is not fighting itself, where hull and engines and drive train work in harmony and you reduce vibrations and therefore noise,” he explained. “At the same time, you increase efficiency. Make sure the weight is amidships, not forward or aft. We began with those principles on day one and they continue to guide us.”